A/N: I'm back! and with a new chapter I know any of you were waiting for. Now before we continue I must point out this chapter was originally gonna be longer, but I decided to break it up into parts so as to balance out future chapters. So just to be clear... this is gonna be Part 1 of an new "arc" of my story, so it may consider it as being too short. But I think it was needed.
Anyway... not much to say really other than thanks for all the feed back I got from the last chapter and I hope to from you guys more. As for those who did not leave a review, I guess you really wanted to have Rory in you bed that nignt... weirdos.
But enough of that, on to part 1...
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{ Chapter 37: Show of Force pt.1 }
Shwartz Forest, on the Boarder of the Saderan Empire and the Kingdom of Elbe...
17:47 hrs. February 22nd, 20XX...
The sun not too long disappeared over the horizon, as the lone Reaper Drone flew over the Elbe landscape. Its single turboprop engine effortlessly propelling the small craft through the cool evening air, as its advanced camera and radar systems scanned the the landscape thousands of feet below. The MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes known as the Predator II) was by far one of the more advanced drones to be deployed in the Special Region by the Coalition and had been operational ever since Alnus Air Field became operational.
Since their arrival, the Reapers had worked along side their Indian Counter parts in mapping out the Falmart continent. As well as conducting surveillance missions against a number of Saderan cities and forts which had been located so far. The 489th it self, had actually managed to map out the Saderan Capitol itself and as a result, the Coalition now had more detailed maps of the Imperial Capitol, than the Saderans themselves. But this particular drone, nick named "Lil' Nell" by its ground crews, was now on a recon mission over kingdom of Elbe to confirm the existence of something called "A Auqadraco".
Normally the Reaper would be armed were at least 4 AGM-114 "Hellfire" air-to-ground missiles, as had been their standard weapons layout since arriving in the Special Region. Though mostly used for Recon and Surveillance, there were a few time the Reaper had been used to attack "Targets of Opportunity" during their missions. But due to the nature of this mission, Lil' Nell had been fitted with extra fuel tanks that allowed the drone to remain on station for a much longer period of time before being forced to return to base. The only armament carried at this time were a pair of Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.
It may have been a simple recon flight, but no one was willing to take chances in a world filled with magic, dragons and questionably named Imperial Princesses.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, the "Pilot" of Lil' Nell manipulated the controls of his vehicle from the safety of the 489th command building. If one were to she the young woman sitting in front of her computer screen with a joystick in her hand, they would have been lead to believe that she was playing some kind of computer game on the USAF's dime. But in reality, the young airman was in control of what was quite possible one of the most advanced pieces of equipment the USAF had deployed with their contingent to the Special Region.
Expertly guiding the unmanned aircraft over the Elbe county side, the airman used the craft's advanced chin mounted camera system to visually scan the landscape below. Despite being briefed prior to the flight, the young woman did not know just what exactly she was looking for. Just what was a Aquadraco exactly? Either way, a lightly armed Reaper had been deployed and it was her job to locate just what ever the hell a Aquadraco was.
Checking the fuel levels once again, the drone operator then switched to the thermal cameras to compensate for the fading daylight. As Lil'Nell approached what the locals called Mount Tube, a large, mostly dormant Volcano that resided Schwarz forest and was part of the much larger Tuba Mountain Range.
Dropping altitude, Lil' Nell began to orbit the area where it was believed the Aquadraco had attacked. Its powerful camera systems began to scan the world below, all the while relaying images back to the 489th's building at Alnus.
"Have you spotted anything?" The commander of the 489th contingent asked the young woman, as he stood near her console and took a sip from his mug of hot chocolate.
"Negative, sir." the airman replied, as she ever so carefully moved the controls in her hands. "Thermals are not picking up anything."
"Well, call me if you do." the officer replied. "I got a meeting with my Indian counterpart to discuss future operations."
"Yes sir." the woman replied, just as her commanding officer left her room.
For the first thirty minutes or so, Lil' Nell continued to orbit around Mount Tube and scanned the area around it for any signs of life. But nothing came up so the drone flew off towards it next location. This time though, Lil' Nell found something.
There was a large section of the forest that seemed to have had all of its vegetation stripped away, as large portions of the normally lush green forest was now devoid of any forms of life. Trees as tall as three story buildings has seemingly been knocked down by some unknown force. Their shattered trunks now littered a large portion of the Schwartz forrest , but yet there was no signs as to just what had caused it. It was then the drone pilot began to notice a rather interesting pattern.
The apparent area of destruction seemed to be centered mainly around a large river that wound it's way through the forest. Not knowing what else to do, the airman then decided to have Lil' Nell fly in a "figure 8" pattern at ten thousand feet and use its advanced camera systems to locate what ever had done this. It was only then did the small aircraft began to notice the true extent of the destruction. Miles of forest had been completely and utterly destroyed and all of it centered around the river. But even more disturbingly, as the drone's camera's zoomed in on the land below, the operator could see signs that a village had once existed along the river's banks. As destroyed buildings and boats now made up the landscape.
But this only confirmed that something terrible had indeed happened in the Schwartz forest, but not as to what had caused it. As far as anyone in the coalition knew, all of this could have just been as a result of a natural disaster. But then the camera caught sight of something moving in the river. At first the operator thought that it could have been a boat but zooming in, she soon realized that not only was it moving too fast, but was far bigger than any water born vessels the coalition had seen since their arrival in the Special region.
Suddenly, a large serpentine like creature emerged from the water and slithered onto the river bank in one fluid motion. The drone pilot could not believe just what she was seeing, as the large creature snaked its way through the destroyed forest for a few minutes. As if it was admiring its handy work before sliding back into the river from where it came. Clearly... this was the supposed Aquadraco Lil' Nell was sent out to locate, but just where was it heading now?
The Reaper still had several hours worth of fuel left in its tanks, so the pilot decided to follow the creature for as long as she could before being forced to return home. What ever she could learn from this beast, could prove to be very valuable n the future.
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Akusho District, Sadera.
February 23rd, 05:45hrs...
The sun had not yet crested the walls which surrounded the Imperial Capitol, as four hooded figures made their way through the dirty streets that made up the city's notorious slum. They had long since left their small palace within the upper levels of the Imperial city, only taking a fraction of their wealth so as to not draw any unwanted attention to themselves. Then again, wealth means nothing when your family had been universally shunned by those you once considered your friends. Especially since it was your husband that lead the failed expedition across the Gate on Holy Alnus Hill.
For as long as anyone could remember, the Landa name had always been associated with the Imperial army in one one way or another. Caster Co Landa was the Legate that lead the Empire to their first victory against the great Beast-Men Uprising 400 years ago, Adeb Al Landa served under Emperor Maximillion Aguainus during his successful march into the Sourthen Territories. Gura Co Landa was quite possible one of the best spies the Empire ever had and was a key figure in the subjugation of the (Now Former) Allied Kingdoms. The Calass always held weight within the Imperial army and it was always expected that every male member of said family would serve in form or another.
Mara could still remember the day she was told she would be marrying a one Calass Co Landa, the noble woman could have not been any happier. To marry into the Landa name was quite possible the greatest honor a girl in her mid teens could have. It also did not hurt that she thought the young man was quite the attractive individual and had always day dreamed about being with him. That arranged relationship saw her give birth to several children over the years, the oldest of whom followed the family traditions and joined the Imperial military. When Mara found out that her husband had been selected to lead the Imperial army through the Gate, she was so happy for him and was absolutely thrilled that she was married to someone would would once again bring the Landa name to greatness. Her husband would be remembered for being the man who would conqueror the world beyond the Gate and be extension, she would be remembered as well.
But when news of the horrific defeat beyond the Gate reached the Capitol, destroyed could not even begin to describe just how the noble woman felt at that moment. What was supposed to be another glorious victory for House of Landa, had turned into one of the worst defeats the Empire had suffered in centuries. But worst of all... this defeat was squarely placed at the feet of her husband, who himself had failed to return. Amost overnight, the House of Landa was disgraced and soon fell out of favor with many of the other Noble Houses in Sadera. Especially with those who had lost sons who had followed Landa through the Gate. It was Calass's fault the Imperial Army was so soundly defeated and their children didn't come back.
Within a few short months, Mara and her family had become social pariahs within the the Imperial Court and were openly shunned for this defeat. They no longer had friends, were rarely invited to anything and even when they were, it was usually for the other guest in attendance to target them for insults and other harmful words. Mara and her three daughters soon became prisoners in their own home, as they could not even leave without being insulted and harassed by the people that once held them in such high regards.
Oh how the mighty had fallen... but then something happened hat made Mara's blood run cold and worry for for the safety of her children. Just a few days ago, the noble woman received a message with an imperial seal on it. Curious as to why the Imperial Family would send such a thing, Mara opened the scroll and when she read it, she almost bust into tears.
The message itself was from Crown Prince Zorzal himself, he had send her a proposition... as future Emperor, the Prince would gladly return the house of Landa to prominence once he had risen to the throne. But... Mara would have to offer her three daughters to the Prince as his new personal concubines first.
Mara did not know if she should have been angry or disgusted by this supposed offer. It was a well known secret within the court that Prince Zorzal loved women and there were more than a few credible rumors that painted him as a sadistic predator. There was no way she was going to let her beloved daughters fall into the hands of that monsterous bastard! But... she also knew that Zorzal was not not the type to take "no" for an answer. The Noble had heard stories about what happenedd to women to did not return the Royal's advances... she needed to get her family out of Sadera and away from the Prince's dirty hands. But where would they go? The Prince would surely find them eventually.
Strangely enough, as if the Gods themselves had heard her prayers, Mara soon discovered a scroll that had been left by her bedroom window. She she did not know who left it or just how they were able leave it without being noticed, but her curiosity got the better of her and upon reading the message inside, her eyes went wide is shock...
"Prince Zorzal and his associates will be coming for both yourself and your daughters tonight"
"We can help you, but you must follow our instructions starting from now"
"You will leave your home with your daughters as soon sun sets behind the east wall"
"Pack only enough for a 5 days travel, nothing more."
"Make sure no one sees you as you leave, leave your servants behind"
"Make your way to the Akusho District and wait"
"We will contact you"
"Tell no one of this."
Signed, Overwatch
Mara's blood ran cold at this news. She (as well as everyone else in the Imperial Court) knew just what Zorzal was capable of, once he was left to his own devices and devious thoughts.. There were just too many stories about him for the noble woman to just brush side this apparent warning. Doing as she was told, Mara personally packed what was asked of them and gathered her three (Ages 18, 14 and 10). she did not tell them about the note, but did say that she had been warned about the possible intentions of the crown prince and said that their home was no longer safe.
Now here they were, trying as best they could to not draw attention to themselves as they walked along the streets of Sadera's most infamous districts. All the while the eldest of the group hoped that this... Overwatch, would contact them soon and this was not just some clever ploy by one of the more vindictive Houses. As Mara and her family passed one of the few working public water pumps in the district, they were suddenly accosted by two large, hooded figures.
"Are you Lady Mara of the House of Landa?" one of the figures said in a deep voice.
"Y... yes..." The woman replied, all the while trying her hardest to not show her fear at the moment. The men just stood there for a moment before the other one replied...
"Follow us. Do not try to run away."
With no other choice and noticing more hooded figures around them, Mara and her daughters just nodded before doing as they were told. The men themselves did not seem to talk much and never made an attempt to start a conversation with the group. But at least they did not seem to be hostile, nor did they seem interested in her daughters... or had not noticed them.
Eventually, the group came upon one the entrance of a mansion that was guarded by even more hooded figures. Mara was surprised such a impressive and well kept home even existed in this part of Sadera. Who ever this Overwatch was, he must be quite the individual.
Eventually, Mara and her family were lead inside and were met by the most unexpected of sights. For in this home were dozens of men where dressed in the strangest attire the noble woman had ever seen. Some were in green, others wore black but what really caught her attention was the fact that this entire time, none of these men seemed to have noticed her arrival. Normally a member of a Noble house, no matter how disgraced, would usually be announced upon entering someone's home. Normally, this would be a great sign of disrespect but all things considered, she was in no position to make demands.
"Lady Mara of the House of Landa?"
The noble woman turned and saw that a man of age in green attire was the one addressing her.
"Y... Yes." she replied, as her daughters looked on a both awe and fear. "Who... are you...? what do you want of us?"
"All in due time." the Australian SAS officer replied with a smile. "But let me introduce myself first. My name is Captain Gordon King of the Australian Special Air Service Regiment and from now on, you and your family are my guests until we can get you out of Sadera..."
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Alnustown, Alnus
The day had only just begun in the growing town, as Beefeater E Caty and the rest of the Rose Knights milled about the streets of Alnustown. The Coalition commanders had offered both her and her contingent of Knights a bed for the night, something that was welcomed by the Noble women. Especially after days of riding. Seeing that it would take them another two weeks to ride back to the capital, Beefeater thought it would have made more sense to stay at least a few days at Alnus before returning home. Besides, it would give them chance to interact with the people of this new settlement.
Switching out their armor for more casual attire as to not draw any un-wanted attention to themselves, (The Tomato attack from the day before was still fresh in Beefeater's mind), the knights soon melted into the population of Alnus Town. To say it was a case of extreme culture shock for the Nobles, would have correct, as they saw things they would have never seen anywhere else in the Empire.
The numerous buildings that made up the growing settlement were absolutely nothing like the designs found in any Imperial towns. Obviously, their design was strongly influenced by the other worlders and looked far sturdier than the earthen homes normally found in Saderan villages and from what they had seen, far more comfortable. Many of whom, had glass windows! Only the Imperial Family and the wealthiest of Noble houses were able to afford such a luxury, but here it was used extensively for both homes and businesses! Another thing the knights could not help to notice, was the rather large population of "Beast Men" that were allowed to live and work in the town.
Obviously... this was a VERY big indicator that the Other Worlders operated far differently than the Empire. As such a social structure would have never been allowed in Imperial lands. The beast men who lived in the Empire would have never been allowed to settle in human villages, let alone interact with humans on a daily basis like this! Beast Men were uncivilized savages who had tormented many human villages before the creation of the Empire! If anything, they should have been thankful that the Empire had not exterminated them all when Sadera began I expand their boarders! Sure there were a handful of towns and villagers that allowed these... creatures to live there, but even then the Beast Men were usually segregated from the human populations.
But here... in Alnustown, that was not the case. Here both human and beast men seemed to live in harmony with one another, a fact brought home when Beefeater saw a wolf child play happily with a human boy and girl. While the rest of the knights noticed just how many business were either own by, or had workers who were beast men. It was very clear to see that instead of a frightened population who were being forced to live here, the knights of the Order of the Rose found a thriving town filled with happy and healthy residents who could leave when ever they wanted... and no one wanted to leave.
Clean water, food, employment, security... all of this and more were present in Alnustown, and the sad part that it was an enemy of Sadera that had provided all of this. Meanwhile the Empire itself failed to provide any form of support for those who had hoped Sadera and their Emperor would have taken care of them.
Suddenly, the air was filled with what sounded like thunder and the towns folk around stopped what ever they were doing to look up into the sky. Moments later, a pair of Su-35s flew over head at relitivly slow speeds as they made their final approach to Alnus field.
"Wha... what were those things?" Beefeater asked a one of the town's people who was close by, a hint of fear could be heard in her voice as she spoke.
The young siren with green, feather like hair replied casually, "Looks like one of the Indonesian Jets. They must be coming back from another flight."
"What?" The knight replied almost frightfully. "You know what those... things are?"
"Yes." Myuute replied. "I'm guessing you are new to Alnus town."
"We're just passing through." Beefeater replied, as she attempted to make conversation with the Siren. "Tell me, do they always fly over the town?"
"Sometimes its the Indonesians, other time the Americans like to put on a little show before they land." Myuute explained. "The kids love it, but they always flay over before they land at Alnus Field."
"Alnus... Field?"
"Yea!" Myuute replied, "Its were the Other Worlders keep all their flying machines! It's on the other side of the hill though, so I don't think you will be able to get close enough to see it."
"Constable Sires, we have reports of another fight near the west Paddock. Your presence in requested." A new voice suddenly stated, as Beefeater and saw the Siren lift a small black box and replied...
"Copy, I'm on my way there now." she then looked at the group and said. Sorry, but I have to go." and with that, the Siren/Alnustown Constabulary officer ran off to deal with the developing situation. Leaving a very stunned and quite possibly distraught group of knights behind.
It was at this moment did the Beefeater and her contingent of Rose Knights realize as to why their Princess/Leader was so adament as to why they should help the Other Worlders. Not only were they superior to the Imperial Army in every way imaginable, but they had obviously won the hearts and minds of the population. How does one defeat an enemy that had won the respect an admiration of the very same people you thought you were protecting?
Pina was right... the Empire had already lost the War...
TBC
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A/N: Part one is done, but believe me there is more to come... Also, I figured i would give you just a taste of Black Paint Operations in Sadera just for fun. As always please leave a review or else Pinkie Pie with Pinkie you in your bed when you are sleeping tonight.
Until next time, NIGHTSTALKER OUT!